Emerging Romania: Surprise Package of Euro 2024 (2024)

Romania established themselves as Euro 2024’s surprise package after Monday’s win over Ukraine, and they will hope to pile more misery on to struggling Group F favourites Belgium when the pair face off on Saturday.

Showing fans they are a team worth keeping an eye on after hammering Ukraine 3-0 in Munich,the Romanians are on the verge of the knockouts and on the hunt for another big scalp in Cologne against an out-of-sorts Belgium side, who were beaten 1-0 by Slovakia in their opening match of the tournament.

Not many people expected the Tricolorii to make it out of a group which consists of Belgium and Ukraine. These sides can fieldPremier League megastars from Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku to Oleksandr Zinchenko and Mykhailo Mudryk.

But the side ranked 47th in the FIFA world rankings is full of unknown quantities, from an attacking midfielder who has plied his trade in China to a rapid defender who has hilariously been compared to a famous video game character.

Firstly, captainNicolae Stanciu, who scoredof one of the contenders for goal of the tournament against Ukraine, set the tone during Romania’s outstanding victory on Monday.

The attacking midfielder whipped the ball pastReal Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin from outside the box to get their Euro 2024 campaign off to the best possible start.

Stanciu is a major threat in the final third and is a threat that Belgium will surely be worrying about.

The 31-year-old finished the 2023-24 campaign with 11 goals contributions, featuring regularly for his club side Damac in the Saudi Pro League.

Before signing for Damac, Stanciu enjoyed two seasons in the Chinese Super League for Wuhan Three Towns, making 51 appearances and racking up a combined total of 35 goals and assists.

Meanwhile, Dennis Man, whose eye for a killer pass led to two assists in the dominant win over Ukraine, is another player fans should keep an eye on.

His two assists were the joint-most at the tournament ahead of the second round of fixtures – alongside Nathan Ake of the Netherlands – and he can currently boast more than the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Pedri and Bukayo Saka.

The Parma winger, who helped his club side gain promotion from Serie B with 11 goals and six assists in 32 games, will play a huge part in Romania putting the ball in the back of the net for the rest of this tournament.

The 25-year-old has also reportedly been linked with a move to Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund following his standout domestic performances.

And while you may not have recognised the name Andrei Ratiu on paper ahead of the tournament, you’ll certainly be able to pick him out on the pitch throughout the remainder of Euro 2024.

The 26-year-old right back has captured the imagination of all football fans with his dyed bright blue hair.

Ratiu has even been compared to the well-known video game character Sonic the Hedgehog due to his colourful appearance, but there is also another reason why he has similarities to the lightning-quick Sonic.

The Romanian has recorded incredible speeds, most famously when defending for his club side, Raya Vallecano, in duels against Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr.

The right-back was clocked at 35.6km/h in a race with the Brazilian last season, and this ability to put out fires in defence will be invaluable if Romania want to go deep in this tournament.

Next up for the Tricolorii is a Belgium side that will be feeling worse for wear after their shock 1-0 defeat in their opening game against Slovakia.

Romania will hope to carry the momentum of their huge win into the clash in Cologne, and if the two sides play anything like they did on Monday, the side in yellow will be in with a huge chance of upsetting the odds once again by qualifying for the knockouts.

Belgium’s forward talisman Romelu Lukaku will no doubt be short of confidence after having two goals ruled out and missing a litany of golden chances.

Their all-time top scorer will be feeling like nothing went his way against Slovakia and will be desperate to right the wrongs of Monday’s defeat.

Meanwhile, although De Bruyne looked busy in the defeat, the Manchester City superstar will feel under significant pressure to pull the strings and get a positive result for his side from Saturday’s match.

Fail, and Belgium will be looking at a rare group-stage exit at the European Championships, having made the quarter-finals in their last two appearances.

Historically, Romania have suffered through a lengthy period of major tournament anguish, failing to qualify for the World Cup since 1998 — before this tournament, they went 24 years without a Euros win.

Now, after the incredible win over Ukraine, Romania have an opportunity to reach the knockout stage for the first time since Euro 2000 — when a late Ioan ‘Ionel’ Ganea penalty guided the team into the knockout stage at the expense of England.

Monday’s 3-0 triumph sparked jubilant scenes at full-time, with the son of national legend Gheorghe Hagi leading the celebration party.

In a video that appeared on X, Ianis Hagi used a megaphone to rally the crowd with one of their chants.The rest of the team joined him before the thousands of fans decked out in vibrant yellow shirts serenaded their heroes on the pitch.

The whole nation will be hoping for similar scenes on Saturday evening, knowing that a victory would see them progress beyond the group stage of the Euros for the first time in 24 years.